aPerformance Evaluation of a Solar-Powered Pumping System Using MPPT Technology Under Desert Climatic Conditions

• Ali Hussein Al-Safaar1

  Author

This study was conducted to investigate the operational response of a solar-powered water pumping system under desert climatic conditions in Karbala Province and how the type of control system and solar radiation level may affect system performance and efficiency. The field experiment was carried out at the desert farm of the Agricultural Extension Center, 20 km southeast of Karbala city, using a solar-powered pumping system that included photovoltaic panels and a multistage submersible pump of approximately 2 hp installed in a well with a depth of about 20 m.

The research work had two factors, the type of control system having 2 levels (C1: conventional operation & C2: or using Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) technology) and three levels for solar radiation intensity classified as low, medium and high.

System performance was investigated, and measured values of voltage, electric current, water discharge rate and system efficiency were compared. The findings indicated that all measurements improved with the MPPT‐based control system in comparison to the conventional operating system. Maximum voltage was 228 V, peak current 9·8 A and highest water discharge rate was 34·8 L min⁻¹. The system efficiency reached the highest level of 82.4% when the MPPT control system under with high solar radiation conditions. The results also showed that increasing solar radiation intensity improved overall system performance.

The results from the present study indicate that the application of MPPT-based control systems could potentially increase solar-powered agricultural pumping system performance and lead to operational efficiency under existing climatic conditions (arid and semi-arid regions).

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